consume-v; 4 Senses

Sense Number 1: eat or drink, esp. in large amounts; ingest

Commentary:
NOTE: Compare to sense 2. Only food items go under this sense. Any non-food items or abstract items go in sense 2.

Examples:
She consumes 2 cups of sugar a day.
Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and apoB were lower when women consumed
the HUFA diet than when they consumed the other two diets.
My cows consume more hay than my neighbor's.

Sense Number 2: use resources or materials

Commentary:
NOTE: This sense does not include food items of any kind.

Examples:
Motorcycles consume less gas than cars do.
We consumed our entire savings in less than a month.
The horrific slaughter consumed 63% of the airtime.
Americans consume more information from the internet than any other nation.

Sense Number 4: engage

Commentary:
NOTE: The thing being consumed is not used up or gone. Most examples of this are in the passive, but not all. And not all passives fit in this sense, read the sentence carefully. Syntax Is: NP1[agent[abstract]] CONSUME NP2

Examples:
He was an artist whose heart was consumed by passion.
He is consumed by a desire to be great.
They were consumed with grief after the death of their child.
After her breakup, depression consumed her.
Our country is consumed by war.